Propeller shaft support



March 29, 1949 H. E. BERNO PROPELLER SHAFT SUPPORT Filed April 22, 1947 IN V EN TOR.

Harm on J 5 Be 7710- BY Patented Mar. 29, 1949 PROPELLER SHAFT SUPPORT Harmond E. Berno, Plymouth, Mich., assignor to Kaiser-Frazer Corporation, Willow Run, Mich.,

a corporation of Nevada Application April 22, 1947, Serial No. 743,021

2 Claims. 1

This invention relates generally to motor vehicles, and more particularly to an improved center bearing support for an intermediate portion of a motor vehicle propeller shaft.

The principal object of this invention is to provide an improved bearing mounting construction for resiliently supporting a propeller shaft intermediate its ends, on the frame of a vehicle, which reduces synchronous vibration at both low and high vehicle speeds and dampens the transmission of noise.

Other objects of this invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of the chassis of a motor vehicle illustrating a propeller shaft support thereon which embodies features of this invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 1 taken substantially along the line 3-3 thereof;

Fig. 4 is an end elevational view of one of the resilent bushings illustrated in Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 4 taken along the line 5-5 thereof.

Referring to the drawing, a chassis frame 9 of an automobile vehicle is partially illustrated having an engine H and a change speed transmission (2 mounted thereon in the usual way. The transmission 12 is connected to a differential (not shown) for the rear wheels of the vehicle by means of asplit propeller shaft l3, which is connected at its forward end through a two-trunnion type universal joint l5 to the drive shaft of the transmission l2, and at its rear and through a similar universal joint (not shown) to the differential. The propeller shaft I3 is formed of two sections, namely, a forward section I! which is connected by the universal joint 15 to the drive shaft of the transmission [2, and a rear section l9 which is connected through a universal joint 2! to the forward propeller shaft section H.

A lever arm, generally indicated at 23, is provided for resiliently supporting the rear end of the forward propeller shaft section H on a cross frame member of the chassis. The cross member 25 has an arcuate depressed center portion 21, above which the propeller shaft passes and on opposite sides of which the lever arm 23 is resiliently secured to the frame member 25.

Referring now to Fig. 2, it will be seen that the propeller shaft section H has a reduced pilot portion 29 formed on the rear end thereof to which a sleeve 33 of the universal joint is keyed at 3|. The sleeve has an attaching flange 35 formed on the rear end thereof which mates with and is connected to a complemental flange portion 3! of the universal joint 2i by means of bolts 39. The sleeve 33 is locked against axial movement with respect to the pilot portion 29 by means of a washer 4! which is received within a recess 43 in the sleeve 33 and which abuts the rear end of the pilot portion 29. The washer 4| is held in position by means of a nut 45 which is threadably received on the end of the pilot portion 29.

The lever arm or propeller shaft bearing support 23 has a tubular sleeve 4! welded in a flanged aperture 49 formed substantially in the center of the lever arm. The forward end of the tubular sleeve 41 is flared outwardly at 5| for a reason which will hereinafter appear. Mounted within the tubular sleeve 41 is a resilient ring 53, formed preferably of rubber or a rubber composition, which is substantially channel-shaped in cross section, as can be seen in Fig. 2. The outer race 55 of a ball-type anti-friction bearing generally indicated at 51, is mounted in the channel portion of the resilient ring 53, and the inner race 59, of the bearing 51, is a close press fit on the pilot portion 29 of the forward propeller shaft section I1. Disposed between the forward face of the inner race 59 and a shoulder 6| in which the pilot portion 29 terminates, is an annular diskshaped member 63 which acts as a mud slinger for preventing the ingress of dirt, mud, and the like. The flared end 5| of the tubular sleeve 41 projects into the channel portion of the member 53 and cooperates with the latter in preventing the ingress of foreign material.

Disposed between the rear face of the bearing inner race 59 and the forward edge of the sleeve 33 is a channel-shaped annular member 51, the outer periphery of which is received within the confines of the tubular sleeve 41 to act as a mud slinger in the same manner as the member 63. Disposed between the opposite side faces of the bearing inner race 59 and the mud slinger members 63 and 61, respectively, are conventional bearing grease retainers 68.

The opposite ends of the lever arm 23 have apertures ll formed therein so as to provide a tubular sleeve or annular flange l3, surrounding each of the apertures H. The opposite ends of the lever arm 23 are resiliently mounted on the cross frame member 25 in the same manner, and the mounting of one end isillustrated in detail in Fig. 3. As illustrated therein, a bolt 15 is in- 3 serted through an aperture in the cross fram member 25 and received in the center of the aperture ll in one end of the lever arm 23. A washer TI is received on the bolt and disposed in an abutting relation with the frame member 25. A resilient bushing 79 is inserted into th lever arm aperturefll so that its forward end abuts against the Washer H. v I l v The bushing 19 is shown in detail in Figs/4 and 5, as made of rubber or a rubber composition and comprising an axially extending tubular portion BI and a, ring-like flange 83. The bushing. [9 i provided with an axial central bore 85 in which the bolt 75 is received. sc'npurid ng, tiieterejyt are a plurality of circumferentially "spa'c'ed'apertures 81 which extend longitudinally through the body of the bushing on an axis parallel to-the the bore 85, for a reason which will hereinafter appear. A washer 81' is disposed betweenthe face of the bushing flange 83 dand the front edge of the lever armaperture flange 13,15} thatthe fax'ially'extending tubular portionill ofthebusliing extends "into the leverarm aperture H. A resilient'bush- 9! is disposed in the ODDOSite side of the aperturefll, which "is "identical in construction with the bushingla and whichhas the forward'face of itslfiange :por'tion83 abutting the rear face of the 1. r arm :23, 'adjacent'the aperture H, Awash'er T93 abuts the end of the bushing 91 and is held ,in place, ,on the bolt 15, by means of a loci; nut 95, as to resiliently 'jr nount'theendbf the lever arm 23pm theffram'e member '25,'throughthereffsilient bushings 19 and'ill. Thuseach'end of the lever 'arm 2'3 is resiliently mounted on the frame membe -T25. I fIhe resilient ring'53 whi c'h mounts the center ibe'aring. 51,,and the resilient bushings 19 andfll which mount'the oppositeends 'o f'the lever arin bh the frame member 25, are preferably mad'eof the same rubber material. 1 However, due I to the j'circu'rnferentially spac d apertures 81 in :the .ifsilient bushings 1,9 and g at each end i or the lever arm'23, they will be more flexible than the centerresili'ent ring 53. This is important in that if the outer resilient bushings 1'9 and! had the .ls' arne flexibility i and therefore the same resilient and disto'rtional value as the center resilient {ring 53, vibration periods would be set up "atl o'w vehicle speeds somewhatthe same as ifa solid jjjj'oint were "provided for mounting the lever arm 23'totheframe1member 2L5. I J v If desired, inst'ead, of making the 'bushing' s "l9 ffafifthey can bel nade without the'iap'erturs "81, but of a'softer rubberjthan the center ring 53 'so that the same relative difference inflexibility between the I end resilient bu'shir'igsand the center resilient ring 'will be maintained.

It will thus be seen that a propeller shaft bearing support is provided which is resiliently mounted at its ends to a transverse frame member, and which resiliently mounts the propeller 5 shaft in the center thereof, so that vibration will be suitably dampened regardless of the vehicle i w,

1Q A propeller "shaft bearing support including !0 a lever arm, resilient means mounted in the "opposite ends of said arm adapted to be connected to a vehicle frame, said resilient means being connected to said am to resiliently resist movement thf eof directly in all directions, a

1E5 esilierfitringj (united in said arm intermediate said ends, an anti-friction bearing having its outer ra'ce mounted in said resilient ring and its inner race adapted to be fixed to said propeller shaft'for resiliently and rotatably supporting the 20 latter on said vehicle frame, said resilient means being s'o constructed relative to said resilient ring as to have more "flexibility and less resistanceto dis'tortion thansaid resilient ring. m I 2. A propeller shaft bearing support including Q a lever arm, tubular sleeve *me'ans provided I adjac'ent eacnfene ofsaidarm, opposed resilient bushings mounted in 'each of 's'aid sleeve means, each ofsaidbushingshaving a' plurality of circumferie'ntially spaced apertures therein, bolt means received in each 'of'said'bushings for connecti ng the same to a vehicle frame, said resilientbush- :in'gs being connected to "said arm to .resil iently resist ino'vernen't thereo"f"dlrectly"in ,all directions,

I tubular'sleev'e in'ean'sprovidedinsaid arm inter- 35 mediate its ends, a resilient ring'mounted in said psi-named tubular sleeve means;an anti-friction bearing 'having it's'outerrace mounted in said resilient ringand 'its inner race adapted to be fixed to said propeller shaft for'resiliently and rotatably supporting the latter on said vehicle frame, said resilient "bushings being so constructed rlative to'said resilient ring as to have inorefiexibility 'and less resistance to distortion than said resilient ring. 

